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Europe Travel: Greek island of Naxos is frisky and free-spirited

From grapes to Greek gods, Mediterranean retreat thrives on a bohemian, anything-goes lifestyle.

Naxos is a dreamy destination in the Aegean Sea. Just watch out for the statues with a giant penis.

By Kevin ChongSpecial to the Star

Mon., Nov. 12, 2012

NAXOS, GREECE—We are at a souvenir store in Naxos, looking for an appropriate gift for an 8-year-old, when we first see the statue of a naked Greek god with an erection.

We react less with shock than a kind of mental strain required to envision the type of person who might choose this as a gift for friends and family. Probably stoners and stagette party participants. After that first sighting, we see wood-carved penis key chains, carved tableaux of copulating men, and a “Hello Titty” t-shirt at other shops.

Of course, there are statuary with penises throughout Greece (where it’s apparently a classical tradition to gross out tourists) but nowhere more than this island. Although questionable in taste, these erotic tchotchkes jibe with the island’s bohemian, anything-goes sensibility.

Fertility, be it the fecundity of the hilly landscape or the ancient Greek mythology that was inspired by it, seems to be a running theme on our car trip through Naxos.

Part of the chain of Cyclades islands and one of its tourist hubs, Naxos was a prosperous cultural centre during the classical era that also bears traces of later Venetian and Frankish occupation; it now welcomes tourists to its rich terrain and attractions.

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While on a seven-day sailing trip hosted by Intrepid, sleeping on the Edgar, a Benetau Oceanis 50.5 yacht, we rest our wobbly sea legs in a rented Kia hatchback away from the tourist hub of the island’s capital, Hora.

Along narrow Greek roads, we drive inland to a postcard-ready scene: arid mountainsides lined with olive trees, and herds of goats sitting on terraced shelves under a bright blue sky. In the valleys, we pass white square homes with blue door and window frames.

Eventually, south of the village of Sangri, we find the Temple of Demeter. Built in 530 BC, the ruins consist of the temple base and a few classical columns, enough to conjure up the image of priests performing the fertility rites practiced here. A museum features a few delicate items found on the site.

Our next stop is the village of Halki, where we squeeze around a tour bus on a strip of street to park. We have lunch at Stamata Gianni, seated under a shady trellis loaded with bunches of ripened grapes. Our dishes include a tomato and cucumber salad, large white beans in tomato sauce, spinach pie, and a steak from a grill beside the tavern.

After filling our stomachs, we visit the nearby Vallindras distillery, which has been producing citron, a liqueur similar to limoncello, since 1896. Inside the distillery, a guide points out the antique still that boiled the leaves of the citron apple and collected the resulting distillate, which was them blended with sugar and grain alcohol.

Back in the car, we proceed to Aria Spring, a fountain and picnic area on Mount Za (named after ancient Greece’s supreme deity, Zeus). The drive up the island’s highest mountainside is along a gut-churningly steep and winding pass.

This part of the drive is undoubtedly the most stressful (I get yelled at for taking wide turns), and we stop for drinks and a slice of sheep’s milk cheese in Apiranthos, a mountain village with stone houses and marble roads.

We wander into the local geological museum and a deli that sells local favorites such as honey with thyme, raki (a local firewater) in plastic bottles, and an unclassifiable curiosity: horse whips made from dried and stretched bull penises.

Heading to the northern tip of the island, we come to our final stop: the small, cafe-lined beach in Appollonas, where people play tennis with wooden paddles and sunbathe.

Before we dip our feet in the Mediterranean, we take the road up to the ancient quarry to an uncompleted statue of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. According to classical myth, after Ariadne was abandoned by her lover Theseus on Naxos, she fell into the arms of Dionysus. His statue lies on this hillside as though we walked in on his siesta.

Back in town after returning our car, we pay tribute to that deity with a few litres of house red at a restaurant on the port.

One of our traveling companions, a high school teacher from New Mexico, is egged into writing an admiring note to the restaurant owner serving our drinks, who fits her romantic criteria: under 44 and over five-foot-ten.

Although her note doesn’t get a response that night, you can’t blame her for finding inspiration in Naxos.

Kevin Chong is a freelance writer based in Vancouver. His trip was subsidized by Intrepid Travel.

JUST THE FACTS

ARRIVING Ferries connect from Athens to Naxos, either directly or via another island. To book ferries online, visit greeka.com.

SLEEPING Hotel Panorama has rooms with an oceanside view and free wireless Internet from $50 a night. panoramahotelnaxos.com. Naxos Hotel Kavos has Suites and apartments with a pool from $123. kavos-naxos.com.

DINING AND DRINKING Yiannis Taverna, in Halki’s central square, offers meat from a patio grill and Greek favourites such as spanakopita. Citron Cafe Cocktail Bar features Citron-inspired cocktails, coffee, and a breakfast menu.

TOURING Intrepid Travel offers several trips around Greece that balance the comfort and security of a tour group with a more basic, do-it-yourself approach. intrepidtravel.com

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